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Use a very sharp knife to carve out the shape of a basket handle, then carve the body of the basket. Scoop out the flesh. If you feel artistic, cut the basket edge in a zigzag fashion.

For a simple watermelon bowl, cut off the top third of the watermelon and scoop out the flesh. If necessary to get the melon to stand upright, cut a thin slice from the bottom.

Salad:

Ingredients

1 large watermelon

1 cantaloupe

1 honeydew melon

1 pineapple

2 peaches or nectarines

2 cups blueberries, strawberries, or raspberries

Instructions

For salad: (See “Watermelon Basket Cutting Tips.”) Use a melon ball cutter to remove the pink flesh of the watermelon. If desired, remove the seeds from the melon balls, then put the balls into a large bowl. Drain the resulting watermelon rind shell, or “basket.” Halve the cantaloupe and honeydew melons, cut balls from them, and put their fruit into the large bowl. Remove the rind and core from the pineapple and cut its flesh into bite-size pieces. Add the pineapple to the bowl. Cover the bowl of fruit and chill both it and the basket. Just before serving, peel and slice the peaches and prepare the berries (hull the strawberries). Drain the melon balls and the pineapple chunks. Combine all of the fruit in a large bowl.

Dressing:

Ingredients

2 tablespoons fresh lime juice

3 tablespoons honey

1/2 cup white wine or ginger ale

fresh mint leaves, for garnish

Instructions

For dressing: In a small bowl, combine the lime juice, honey, and white wine. Stir until thoroughly combined.

Pour the dressing over the fruit and stir to coat. Spoon or pour the fruit and dressing into the watermelon basket. Garnish with mint leaves.